


On The First Day Of (checks notes) The Winter Festival, My Dragon Prisoner Gave To Me

by Benfrosh



Series: A Dragon Among Heroes [6]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: (it's not really rampant or apologism but i had to put that warning there for my anxiety), F/F, IM SORRY FOR THE RAMPANT GRIMA APOLOGISM I JUST REALLY LIKE HER, convenient evil alternate world hrid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 00:46:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16984932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benfrosh/pseuds/Benfrosh
Summary: An Abyssal difficulty!Olivia's startled out of bed by Grima rousing her. Grima's taking her and the others to an Abyssal fight, despite the summoner's instructions not to. Why, though?





	On The First Day Of (checks notes) The Winter Festival, My Dragon Prisoner Gave To Me

Olivia had been blessed with the ability to sleep well ever since she was young. She had always chalked it up to how much she worked out every day leaving herself worn out, but whatever the cause she appreciated the ability to enjoy a restful night's sleep. This made it all the more unusual for her when she startled awake in her bed, the moonlight streaming through her window indicating that it was definitely not time for morning drills. She blinked away the fuzzy remains of dreams as her mind came into focus, crystallizing around the sound of a knock on the door. "C-coming, hold your horses," she finally replied as she stumbled out of bed and into her robes, fumbling her arms through the sleeves. 

She finally reached the door and opened it, staring through slitted eyes at the figure standing in the still-brightly-lit castle halls. It was- Grima, she realized. Robin's eyes didn't glow like that. "Finally. Get dressed, we have somewhere to be," Grima commanded, her arms crossed.

Olivia rubbed her eyes, partially to restore her vision and partially to stall through time as she worked through her trepidation that Grima was going to finally pay her back for her 'prank' last month. Even as she still teased and ribbed the dragon mercilessly, some part inside of her was still afraid of Grima, and that was probably the logical part. "What are you talking about? Do we have a deployment? I hadn't heard anything..."

"You'll do as I- sorry," Grima said, cutting herself off and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Old habits die hard. I... it's not a mission endorsed by the summoner or the Order. A personal matter. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate your assistance."

Now _this_ startled Olivia. If she didn't know better, she'd say Grima was finally starting to treat her as an equal. As Grima's rehabilitator-slash-eternal-tormentor, she had been trying to cut Grima's god complex down to size over the past year, and for once it seemed to be having an actual effect. "S-sure, absolutely," she quickly replied, anxious not to let the opportunity to engage with Grima positively slide past. "Let me get my clothes on and I'll meet you at the stables?"

Grima nodded. "I'll see you there, then," and quickly walked off. Olivia hesitated for a moment before going to get dressed. What personal matters did Grima have? More importantly, what personal matters could Grima need _help_ with?

* * *

Flying through the night sky on her falicorn, Olivia had learned little to answer her questions. She, Hinoka, and Camilla, the three officers serving directly under Grima, were flying along in the sky behind Grima, heading off to an unknown destination. She had asked Hinoka and Camilla if they had known anything, but they were just in the dark as she was - and far less inquisitive at that. Olivia could hardly blame them, as they were actually serving as Grima's bodyguards and not as her keeper, but it still left her unknowing of their goals.

That wasn't to be the case for long, however, as Grima began to descend. High up in the mountaintops, isolated from view from anyone who wasn't actively looking for it, was a portal, much like the ones that the Order took to other worlds. Olivia wondered if anyone in the Order actually knew this one existed, but she couldn't ask Grima in the rushing winds of their flight. She had no choice but to follow, diving through the portal chasing after Grima's fading figure.

As they came through the other side, falling through and settling on the floor of a giant temple, Olivia couldn't help but stare in wonder. It looked like the descriptions of the temples of Nifl she had read about, but far more elaborate and grand than any she was aware of. It seemed like one could fit an army inside it- and indeed, as her eyes grew adjusted to the light glimmering off the ice structures decorating the temple, she saw that the army of Nifl was there, arranged to surround their squad. 

"So, Fell Dragon. You have come." came a voice from the other side of the gathered soldiers. They parted to reveal Hrid, the crown prince, slowly advancing upon them. "You plan to deliver on your promise, then?"

"Of course I am. Do you think me so base as to turn on my word? That said," Grima continued, raising one hand and curling a finger in request, "now it's your turn to hold up your own side of the bargain."

Hrid reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small chest. "Here it is. It will be yours once the deal is done."

"Show me it. I won't be fooled into helping you out for free."

Hrid shook his head. "My apologies, Fell Dragon, but I must say the same to you. I will not let you snatch out your reward without helping us first, and I believe you'll find we have the numerical advantage here."

Grima scoffed. "So that's how it's going to be, then. Coercion."

"Call it that if you must. I do what I have to to protect my kingdom. Now, will you deliver? Or must I extract my prize by force?"

Olivia felt a creeping sense of terror well up in her at the conversation. Something about this felt very unnerving - she doubted this was the Hrid she and the rest of the order knew, and Grima had apparently been negotiating with him in secret. She realized now why Grima had needed the three of them - Grima anticipated that things would turn sour. And Grima didn't think she could win on her own. She moved her hand to rest on the hilt of her sword, prepared to pull it out at a moment's notice.

If Grima felt any of the same tension Olivia did, however, she didn't show it as she laughed at Hrid's threat. "Now, now, let's not get hasty." She reached up and snapped her fingers. The Nifl army was engulfed in a purple flame before Olivia's eyes, burning and writhing and - growing. The flames went inside them, and they began to glow with the same demonic aura that Grima herself possessed. Olivia realized now what the deal was - Grima had offered them the same power she had offered her own Grimleal back in their world. 

Hrid, his eyes glowing demonically, laughed maniacally. "This power... it's more than I could have imagined. Thank you dearly, Fell Dragon."

Grima waved him off casually. "It's no sweat off my back. Now then, my reward?"

Hrid drew his sword. "Oh, I'll give you your reward."

Grima coalesced her dark energy into a blade around her arm. "Somehow I knew this would happen."

"More like you wanted this to happen," Hinoka jeered as she drew back her bow, loosing an arrow and landing it right between Hrid's eyes, felling him off his horse. "C'mon guys, it's cleanup time."

* * *

Before long, they had successfully dispatched the rest of the Nifl army gathered to receive Grima's dark gift. As Camilla and Olivia cleaned off their weapons and Hinoka surveyed the area to make sure no more were approaching, Grima was sifting through the corpses to find Hrid - or rather, the Hrid of this world. 

"So, Grima," Olivia asked, walking up behind Grima's hunched figure, "I hope you had a reason for giving our allies demonic power and then enlisting me in killing them all."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Grima answered without turning around. "I spent weeks finding the one dimension that Nifl had turned evil and began massacring innocents. I figured you'd appreciate that."

"What, so you were planning on killing them the whole time? Why didn't we just kill them from the start, then?"

"Because I didn't want to damage... this," she answered, holding up the chest Hrid had shown them earlier. "Here, Olivia. For you."

Olivia stared as Grima stood, the chest in her proffered hand. "For - for me?"

"Yes," Grima said, her mouth open in a toothy smile. "Go on, open it."

Olivia questioned if it'd be safer to play along or to escape now, but she decided that, against her better judgment, she was going to trust Grima. She had thus far, after all. She flicked open the latch, opening it to find...

"Are these... golden flowers?" Olivia asked, pulling it out from the velvet interior. It looked like the hydrangeas she knew, for certain, but rather than the soft colors they normally possessed this shined with a golden glow. "Is this actually made of gold?"

"No, even better. Touch it," Grima added with a light gesture. Olivia touched it, and the petals bent at her touch, soft and pliant just like a real flower. "It's one of a kind, only able to grow in the icy cold of the heart of Nifl. I knew the real Hrid wouldn't let me have one, so I've been looking for an alternate one this entire time. And here we are."

Olivia opened her mouth wordlessly. "I... I don't know what to say..."

"Well, a 'thank you' would be a good start," Grima answered sarcastically. "Here, let me help." Picking up the flower from Olivia's hands, she undid the pin hidden inside the flower bundle and fastened it to Grima's hair. "Glad to see I was right," she said self-satisfied as she pulled back. "It looks beautiful on you."

"I - thank you, obviously, but..." Olivia's mind raced as she thought of what to say, before finally settling on a single word. "Why?"

"Three reasons," Grima said, holding up three fingers for emphasis. "One, because I owe you one. You have been looking out for me, even if I refused to acknowledge it for the longest time. After you stabbed me so forcefully, I realized that I was doing to you what I had already done to Aversa by disdaining you and all you do, and I decided that I didn't want her situation to happen again. And the look on your face when you thought we were in trouble? Priceless!" Grima added with a laugh.

Olivia blushed in embarrassment. She hadn't realized Grima could see her fright, but she was glad Grima had the situation sufficiently under control at least. And she was glad Grima didn't hold much against her for her... outburst.

"Secondly, because it reminded me of you when I read about it. It seems small and frivolous, meant only for decor, but it's infused with potent magic to maintain its state, and its beauty is beyond compare, sure to lift the spirits of anyone who sees it. And the benefits of morale are not to be underestimated, as I've learned the hard way - at your hand, I might add," Grima added with a grin. "I may have killed you in one future, but you've killed me in one present, you know."

"Yeah, but..." Olivia trailed off, unsure of how to counter that assertion. "That doesn't excuse all the other horrible things you've done, though!"

Grima waved it off. "I know, I know. This service here with the Order is to be my atonement, and I've come to accept that."

Deciding not to continue that thread of conversation, Olivia reflected on what Grima said once more. "What about its magic reminded you of me?"

"Olivia, dear," Grima replied, brushing away one of Olivia's braids to rest her hand on Olivia's face. "Your dancing is an ancient, powerful magic. And I don't mean that in the metaphorical sense. Your moves invoke a power in people that I've never beheld before. I've noticed a lot of things about you since you called me out so... _directly_. I was quite wrong to write you off before."

"... why, though? Why have you taken such an interest in me? Why did you decide to stop looking down on me? What changed your mind, to convince you you've done me and the others wrong?"

Grima smiled her toothy grin once more. "That's reason number three, Olivia. I _like_ you."

Olivia couldn't say a word.

"You're strong, you're beautiful, you're direct, you get what you want, you don't tolerate any nonsense from me or others. You've shown me a side of humanity I've never acknowledged before, and you've broadened my horizons in a way I couldn't have imagined. Sure, the summoner was the first to surprise me, but they're just as awed of me as everyone else in the end. You treat me as an equal. I think I needed that."

"... you really think I look beautiful?"

"Of course I do," Grima scoffed. "Only a fool wouldn't notice once they studied you. Even if I've dismissed you humans for centuries, I still have a sense of aesthetic appreciation."

Olivia had never expected Grima to say anything like that. Ever. Not in ten million years. This was absolutely not an outcome she had planned for whatsoever. And it was this total surprise that let the mischievous imp in the corner of mind take control and make her lean in and surprise Grima with a sudden kiss. 

Olivia expected Grima to recoil in disgust, to shout about how dare a worm besmirch her body, but Grima instead accepted the kiss willingly, closing her eyes and returning the kiss in kind. Olivia was sure it was only a few seconds before they parted, but to her it felt like an eternity.

"P-positive reinforcement," Olivia heard herself say. "A reward for finally treating me with the respect I deserve."

Grima chuckled. "Maybe it's this damn body corrupting me again, but... I think I rather enjoyed that reward. I'll have to keep being a good girl after all."

Olivia blushed furiously. How in the _hell_ was she going to explain what happened to Tiki.

**Author's Note:**

> EXTREMELY NON-CANON EPILOGUE:
> 
> "By the gods just _get together already_!" Hinoka shouted, certain that they weren't listening at all.
> 
> "Dear, Grima's a war criminal and Olivia just stabbed her the other week. I doubt they'll be getting together any time soon."
> 
> "But _you're_ a war criminal, and I stabbed you and we still got together!"
> 
> Camilla raised her finger to interject, then paused. "Look, they were minor at most..."


End file.
